August 28, 2023.   Medical Records Controversy.

You may have seen the articles this week about the pilots suspected of concealing medical issues from the FAA. Airlines pilots undergo twice-yearly medical evaluations in order to maintain flight status, and some of the criteria relies on self-reported visits to doctors or other health professionals. As many as 5,000 former military pilots may have neglected to report certain treatments — the same treatments they were simultaneously receiving benefits for through the Veterans Administration. And, apparently, most of the concealed incidents involve mental health issues.

Let’s face it, the flying public doesn’t want to hear the words “pilots” and “mental health” in the same sentence. But a pilot seeking assistance with a stress or anxiety issue — or even for depression — is not by definition an unsafe pilot or one that’s a menace to the traveling public. As I stated in a prior post, the idea that a depressed individual, or one otherwise seeking treatment for any mental health problem, is likely to be a dangerous individual, is an ignorant and unfair presumption about the nature of mental illness. And the fact is that people in any line of work are sometimes in need of help, including those with lives in their hands, be they pilots or neurosurgeons or subway drivers or anyone else. Because this story involves pilots is not a reason to sensationalize it.

Frankly, I’m a little surprised by the news, because the FAA has grown a lot more progressive when it comes to pilots and mental heath. Most conditions and treatments do not mandate automatic grounding; even certain anti-depressants now are permitted, albeit under a supervised regimen. Airlines, too, have worked hard to to de-stigmatize the issue, encouraging employees to seek whatever help they need. Similar to the successful HIMS program dealing with alcoholism, it’s a proactive approach that is safer in the long run than scaring workers into hiding their problems.

There’s always the possibility, it hardly needs saying, that this controversy is less about mental health than about individuals cheating the VA to collect benefits. At which point it becomes a different conversation entirely.

Either way, each case will need to be looked at individually. I suspect — and this is wholly my hunch — things aren’t as scary as the media makes them sound. Worst case, it was likely pilots acting out of embarrassment rather than hiding unsafe conditions. That stigma might be tougher to break than expected.

For more, see my earlier article, below…

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PILOTS AND MENTAL HEALTH